Deacon of Death, 2004
The atrocities that Sok Chea experienced as a child under Pol Pot’s regime haunt her to this day, almost thirty years later. So it is not surprising that she is shocked when she suddenly sees the man in person who was in command in her prison and whom she holds responsible for the decease of a large part of her family. Today, he again holds an important position. One of his capacities is deacon of death, supervising cremation ceremonies. Sok Chea decides to gather evidence against him. She wants to take him to court. But will she succeed in a country where fear still reigns, that has hardly any jurisdiction and where corruption prevails? Moreover, Cambodians believe in karma and clemency. Perpetrators will be punished after death, anyhow. Sok Chea’s search leads to a confrontation with Karoby, in the same pagoda as where the savagery took place.
Nederlands Film Festival 2004
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Directed by
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Bart Jilesen | … | re-recording mixer / supervising sound editor |
The film received a ‘Golden Calf’ at the Dutch Film Festival. The jury wrote: “a moving story in which a Cambodian woman dares to confront the man whom she holds responsible for the death of her family. Convincingly and with respect the director has depicted this almost classic drama of good and evil, crime, punishment and forgiveness.”
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